Mena, O., & Razzaque, S. (2013). Hints of an axion-like particle mixing in the GeV gamma-ray blazar data? J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 11(11), 023–12pp.
Abstract: Axion-Like Particles (ALPs), if exist in nature, are expected to mix with photons in the presence of an external magnetic field. The energy range of photons which undergo strong mixing with ALPs depends on the ALP mass, on its coupling with photons as well as on the external magnetic field and particle density configurations. Recent observations of blazars by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope in the 0.1-300 GeV energy range show a break in their spectra in the 1-10 GeV range. We have modeled this spectral feature for the flat-spectrum radio quasar 3C454.3 during its November 2010 outburst, assuming that a significant fraction of the gamma rays convert to ALPs in the large scale jet of this blazar. Using theoretically motivated models for the magnetic field and particle density con figurations in the kiloparsec scale jet, outside the broad-line region, we find an ALP mass m(a) similar to (1 – 3).10(-7) eV and coupling g(a gamma) similar to (1 – 3).10(-10) GeV-1 after performing an illustrative statistical analysis of spectral data in four different epochs of emission. The precise values of m(a) and g(a gamma) depend weakly on the assumed particle density con figuration and are consistent with the current experimental bounds on these quantities. We apply this method and ALP parameters found from fitting 3C454.3 data to another flat-spectrum radio quasar PKS1222+216 (4C+21.35) data up to 400 GeV, as a consistency check, and found good fit. We find that the ALP-photon mixing effect on the GeV spectra may not be washed out for any reasonable estimate of the magnetic field in the intergalactic media.
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D'Eramo, F., Di Valentino, E., Giare, W., Hajkarim, F., Melchiorri, A., Mena, O., et al. (2022). Cosmological bound on the QCD axion mass, redux. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 09(9), 022–35pp.
Abstract: We revisit the joint constraints in the mixed hot dark matter scenario in which both thermally produced QCD axions and relic neutrinos are present. Upon recomputing the cosmological axion abundance via recent advances in the literature, we improve the state-of-the-art analyses and provide updated bounds on axion and neutrino masses. By avoiding approximate methods, such as the instantaneous decoupling approximation, and limitations due to the limited validity of the perturbative approach in QCD that forced to artificially divide the constraints from the axion-pion and the axion-gluon production channels, we find robust and self-consistent limits. We investigate the two most popular axion frameworks: KSVZ and DFSZ. From Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) light element abundances data we find for the KSVZ axion Delta N-eff < 0.31 and an axion mass bound m(a) < 0.53 eV (i.e., a bound on the axion decay constant f(a) > 1.07 x 10(7) GeV) both at 95% CL. These BBN bounds are improved to Delta N-eff < 0.14 and m(a) < 0.16 eV (f(a) > 3.56 x 10(7) GeV) if a prior on the baryon energy density from Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data is assumed. When instead considering cosmological observations from the CMB temperature, polarization and lensing from the Planck satellite combined with large scale structure data we find Delta N-eff < 0.23, m(a) < 0.28 eV (f(a) > 2.02 x 10(7) GeV) and Sigma m(nu) < 0.16 eV at 95% CL. This corresponds approximately to a factor of 5 improvement in the axion mass bound with respect to the existing limits. Very similar results are obtained for the DFSZ axion. We also forecast upcoming observations from future CMB and galaxy surveys, showing that they could reach percent level errors for m(a) similar to 1 eV.
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Mena, O., Razzaque, S., & Villaescusa-Navarro, F. (2011). Signatures of photon and axion-like particle mixing in the gamma-ray burst jet. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 02(2), 030–16pp.
Abstract: Photons couple to Axion-Like Particles (ALPs) or more generally to any pseudo Nambu-Goldstone boson in the presence of an external electromagnetic field. Mixing between photons and ALPs in the strong magnetic field of a Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) jet during the prompt emission phase can leave observable imprints on the gamma-ray polarization and spectrum. Mixing in the intergalactic medium is not expected to modify these signatures for ALP mass > 10(-14) eV and/or for < nG magnetic field. We show that the depletion of photons due to conversion to ALPs changes the linear degree of polarization from the values predicted by the synchrotron model of gamma ray emission. We also show that when the magnetic field orientation in the propagation region is perpendicular to the field orientation in the production region, the observed synchrotron spectrum becomes steeper than the theoretical prediction and as detected in a sizable fraction of GRB sample. Detection of the correlated polarization and spectral signatures from these steep-spectrum GRBs by gamma-ray polarimeters can be a very powerful probe to discover ALPs. Measurement of gamma-ray polarization from GRBs in general, with high statistics, can also be useful to search for ALPs.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., Ruiz Valls, P., et al. (2017). Observation of the suppressed decay Lambda(0)(b) -> p pi(-) mu(+) mu(-). J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 029–16pp.
Abstract: The suppressed decay Lambda(0)(b) -> p pi(-) mu(+) mu(-), excluding the J/psi and psi(2S) -> mu(+) mu(-) resonances, is observed for the first time with a significance of 5.5 standard deviations. The analysis is performed with proton- proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected with the LHCb experiment. The Lambda(0)(b) -> p pi(-) mu(+) mu(-) branching fraction is measured relative to the Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi (-> mu(+) mu(-)) p pi(-) branching fraction giving B (Lambda(0)(b) -> p pi(-) mu(+) mu(-))/B(Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi (-> mu(+) mu(-)) p pi(-)) = 0.044 +/- 0.012 +/- 0.007, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This is the first observation of a b -> d transition in a baryonic decay.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., & Ruiz Vidal, J. (2022). Searches for rare B-s(0) and B-0 decays into four muons. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 109–27pp.
Abstract: Searches for rare B-s(0) and B-0 decays into four muons are performed using proton-proton collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1). Direct decays and decays via light scalar and J/psi resonances are considered. No evidence for the six decays searched for is found and upper limits at the 95% confidence level on their branching fractions ranging between 1.8 x 10(-10) and 2.6 x 10(-9) are set.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Garcia Martin, L. M., Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., et al. (2020). Test of lepton universality with Lambda(0)(b) -> pK(-) l(+)l(-). J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 40–27pp.
Abstract: The ratio of branching fractions of the decays -> pK(-)mu(+)mu(-),RpK-1}, is measured for the first time using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1) recorded with the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV. In the dilepton mass-squared range 0.1 < q(2)< 6.0 GeV2/c(4) and the pK(-) mass range m(pK(-)) < 2600 MeV/c(2), the ratio of branching fractions is measured to be RpK-1=1.17-0.16+0.18 +/- 0.0$$ {R}{pK}<^>{-1}={1.17}{-0.16}<^>{+0.18}\pm 0.07 $$\end{document}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This is the first test of lepton universality with b baryons and the first observation of the decay -> pK(-)e(+)e(-).
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., & Ruiz Vidal, J. (2022). Observation of Lambda b(0) -> D(+)p pi(-)pi(-) and Lambda b(0) -> D-*+p pi(-)pi(-) decays. J. High Energy Phys., 03(3), 153–30pp.
Abstract: The multihadron decays Lambda(0)(b) -> D(+)p pi(-)pi(-) and Lambda(0 )(b)-> D-*+p pi(-)pi(-) are observed in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3fb(-1), collected in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV by the LHCb detector. Using the decay Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(+)pi(-)pi(-) as a normalisation channel, the ratio of branching fractions is measured to be B(Lambda(0)(b) -> D(+)p pi(-)pi(-))/B(Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+)(c)pi(+)pi(-)pi(-)) x B(D+ -> K-pi(+)pi(+))/B(Lambda(+)(c)-> pK(-)pi(+)) = (5.35 +/- 0.21 +/- 0.16) %, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The ratio of branching fractions for the Lambda(0)(b)-> D-*+p pi(-)pi(-) and Lambda(0)(b) -> D(+)p pi(-)pi(-) decays is found to be B(Lambda(0)(b)-> D-*+p pi(-)pi(-))/B(Lambda(0)(b) -> D(+)p pi(-)pi(-)) x (B(D-*+-> D+pi(0)) + B(D (*)+-> D- (+)gamma)) = (61.3 +/- 4.3 +/- 4.0) %.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Jaimes Elles, S. J., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Rebollo De Miguel, M., et al. (2023). Measurement of the ratio of branching fractions B(B+c → B0sπ+)/B(B+c → J/ψπ+). J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 066–19pp.
Abstract: The ratio of branching fractions of B-c(+) -> B-s(0)pi(+) and B-c(+) -> J/psi pi(+) decays is measured with proton-proton collision data of a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV. The data were collected with the LHCb experiment during 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb(-1). The B-s(0) mesons are reconstructed via the decays B-s(0) -> J/psi phi and B-s(0) -> D-s(-)pi(+). The ratio of branching fractions is measured to be B(B-c(+) -> B-s(0)pi(+))/B(B-c(+) -> J/psi pi(+)) = 91 +/- 10 +/- 8 +/- 3 where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third is due to the knowledge of the branching fractions of the intermediate state decays.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Jaimes Elles, S. J., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Rebollo De Miguel, M., et al. (2023). First observation and branching fraction measurement of the Λb0 → Ds- p decay. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 075–23pp.
Abstract: The first observation of the Lambda(0)(b) -> D-s(-) p decay is presented using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 13TeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 6 fb(-1). Using the Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+pi-)(c) decay as the normalisation mode, the branching fraction of the Lambda(0)(b) -> D-s(-) p decay is measured to be B (Lambda(0)(b) -> D-s(-) p) = (12.6 +/- 0.5 +/- 0.3 +/- 1.2) x 10(-6), where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third due to uncertainties in the branching fractions of the Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda(+pi-)(c), D-s(-) -> K-K+pi(-) and Lambda(+)(c) -> pK(-)pi(+) decays.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Jaimes Elles, S. J., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Rebollo De Miguel, M., et al. (2023). Observation of the decays B(s)0 → Ds1(2536)∓ K±. J. High Energy Phys., 10(10), 106–25pp.
Abstract: This paper reports the observation of the decays B-(s)(0) -> D-s1(2536)K--/+(+/-) using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1). The branching fractions of these decays are measured relative to the normalisation channel B-0 -> (D) over bar (K+K-)-K-0. The D-s1(2536)(-) meson is reconstructed in the (D) over bar*(2007)K-0(-) decay channel and the products of branching fractions are measured to be B(B-s(0) -> D-s1(2536)K--/+(+/-)) x B(D-s1(2536)(-) -> D ($) over bar*(2007)K-0(-)) = (2.49 +/- 0.11 +/- 0.12 +/- 0.25 +/- 0.06) x 10(-5), B(B-0 -> D-s1(2536)K--/+(+/-) ) x B(D-s1(2536)(-) -> (D) over bar*(2007)K-0(-)) = (0.510 +/- 0.021 +/- 0.036 +/- 0.050) x 10(-5). The first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third arises from the uncertainty of the branching fraction of the B-0 -> (D) over bar (K+K-)-K-0 normalisation channel. The last uncertainty in the B-s(0) result is due to the limited knowledge of the fragmentation fraction ratio, f(s)/f(d). The significance for the B-s(0) and B-0 signals is larger than 10 sigma. The ratio of the helicity amplitudes which governs the angular distribution of the D-s1(2536)(-) -> (D) over bar*(2007)K-0(-) decay is determined from the data. The ratio of the S- and D-wave amplitudes is found to be 1.11 +/- 0.15 +/- 0.06 and the phase difference between them 0.70 +/- 0.09 +/- 0.04 rad, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.
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